“Experiences will continue to be important in the coming year,” says Henk Graaff, MD of SW Africa. “Travellers want to have an experience, whether they are playing golf, looking at art or going to a restaurant. It is all about the experience.” But, he cautions, affordability is a key trend that has to be considered at all times.

 “We expect to see travellers increasingly taking advantage of the favourable exchange rate that offers excellent value-for-money, resulting in longer stays and/or a higher per person spend,” comments Graaff.

According to Sean Kritzinger, Co-owner and Managing Director at Giltedge, the luxury market in East Africa is slowly gaining more popularity, especially in countries like Tanzania for its wide expanses and migration, and Rwanda. “Rwanda is currently exploding with new properties,” he says.

Wilderness has just opened the five-star Bisate Lodge in Rwanda, while Singita and One&Only Resorts are opening lodges in 2018 and 2019. “Rwanda is a bucket-list experience and perfect for adventure travellers who want to see the gorillas, but also enjoy high-end luxury,” he says.

Graaff agrees that Rwanda’s gorillas are likely to grab the attention of international travellers looking for unique experiences in 2018. “Rwanda is perceived as a safe and clean ‘new’ destination, which has become more accessible than ever before,” he says.

Christiaan Steyn, Marketing Manager at Drifters Adventours, says in Southern Africa, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana remain popular destinations, offering good value and unique experiences when it comes to culture and amazing wild life.

Safaris will hold their appeal in the coming year, predicts Graaff. “It really is a great offering for the multi-generational family travellers. Parents and grandparents are keen to show and teach their children and grandchildren about the wildlife in Africa and expose them to new cultures.”

Sustainable animal experiences are also here to stay. “We are seeing many suppliers changing their product offering to incorporate this into their offering,” says Kritzinger.

For Janine Bünsow, Tourvest DMC Market Manager for Germany, Switzerland and Austria, authenticity will remain key, and solo travel is fast gaining track.

New products and focuses

In Mozambique, the launch of Fastjet has brought major excitement, says Natalie Tenzer-Silva, Director of Dana Tours, as this will not only open up domestic routes to international travellers but also the country at large.

“We are also expecting to see new lodges open in the country, which will appeal to the discerning leisure traveller,” she says. One such is Muzima tented camp on the banks of the Mussicadzi River in the Gorongosa National Park.

Vernon Wait, Marketing Director at Lalibela Game Reserve, expects the Eastern Cape region to receive a disproportionately large amount of attention in 2018.

The principle reasons are two-fold, he says – the product offering in the Eastern Cape has grown significantly and there has been large-scale upgrading of roads in the province. “The big game changer for the Eastern Cape is going to be the better infrastructure that is going to make previously relatively inaccessible areas of the Eastern Cape far more accessible. A viable route from KZN through to the Eastern Cape is fast becoming a reality.”

Game reserves in the province are also proving to be extremely affordable compared with the north of the country and beyond.

According to Bünsow, Gauteng’s Maboneng Precinct is an exciting development for international visitors offering an array of new hotels, trendy restaurants and coffee shops.

Steyn says Drifters Adventours will introduce its new Southern Highlights tour in 2018, enabling those familiar with the more popular destinations in Southern Africa to explore further off the beaten track.

“The Southern Highlights is a 16-day tour from Johannesburg to Vic Falls and will include Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Northern Kruger and Zimbabwe. It offers travellers a route that combines a lot of culture and wildlife with some unique destinations and some of the best the area has to offer.”